Chapter 10: Prepare For Battle

"Damn" She exclaimed, all those good feelings left her in a rush. She slipped on her slacks and pulled them up. Mark helped her on with her tee shirt. "Sweetheart, come on out after you get dressed. I'll go on down and see what in hell is so important."

She was unprepared for the large, self-important looking man in his mid forties. "I am Mark's father. I have come to take him home, by force if necessary."

"Mister, I don't give a tinker's damn who you are. This is my house. In my house I say who comes and goes, not some lard ass looking fool I never saw before." Amanda measured the much larger than she man in her mind to decide on a point of attack. Bare footed, she rejected straight kicks and decided on a side sweep and a head butt to the nose. She wanted her good right hand free for counter attack if necessary. The big man stood silent.

Red faced, his cheeks were puffed out as he looked at this hated stranger who had stolen his son away, he said, "Please do not swear in my presence. Tell me where my son is and I'll get him and take him home."

"Hello, Father. How did you find me here?" Mark had put on a tee shirt and plain jeans. He stood barefooted at the bottom of the stairs.

"I forgive you your moral lapse, Mark Anthony. Please come with me right now. I shall take you home. Your mother and I both forgive you." I prayed to the Lord and He forgives you temporary lapse. Josh Cantrell's face was molded into what he thought was a stern look as he judged his only child. He waited for Mark's usual instant obedience.

Mark fought against the strong compulsion to bend to his father's will, just as in the past. This time was different. He tensed his muscles, drew in and let it out again. "Fuck you, Father. As far as I am concerned you are dead. You will forgive me?"

Mark's reply had the same effect on his father a sharp pin has on a balloon, the man deflated. Mark continued, "You didn't even come to the hospital to see how I was. You stayed away. Mother at least came to see me even if my appearance repulsed her. How pathetic for the two of you to forgive me. I don't forgive you two though, perhaps in time. But right now I don't care if I never see you again. Please go."

Josh Cantrell re inflated his ego and showed his well earned reputation for self importance, "I was busy with the president. I had no time to come visit you at the hospital. I thank almighty God our president is a Republican." He stood quiet for a moment as if he expected to be bathed in a holy light

He paused and his attention turned inward, "Our president even permitted me to offer him some advice, as I handed him a check for one million dollars." Josh Cantrell stood quiet, as he remembered the momentous occasion when he advised the president.

He stood tall in his imagined greatness and victory. Then, in a hard voice he continued, "I have blocked your grandmother's trust fund. Right now you cannot touch a penny of it. Unless you come to your senses and return home with me, I'll see to it you never have access to it ever." He stood even straighter, arms folded and looked at his rebellious son with anger.

Before Mark could answer, Amanda interrupted. "I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt at first. I thought Mark's description of your sanctimonious hypocrisy was exaggerated. I find just the opposite."

"How dare you!" the man thundered. "I had your reporter friend fired from three different jobs. He will never work anywhere in California again. Nowhere else if I can help it. Defy me and you are next."

"You dirty, rotten bastard," Amanda exclaimed. "Mark's father or not, leave now or he will have call an ambulance to take your broken ass out of here." Amanda stepped forward and sideways. She lifted her right foot slightly and started the high side kick move that would break the victim's jaw if it was executed with force.

The man finally began to realize a sense of his own vulnerability. All at once he sensed, more than saw the deadliness in his son's lover. He backed a step and stuttered, "Y-you wouldn't dare." Amanda slid forward another half step.

"Amanda, no! Please no," Mark begged. "Please, sweetheart. He isn't worth it."

She stopped her advance. "Get out of here now," she ordered the man, her voice filled with disgust. Her face was dark with burning anger, as she stood ready to attack at the slightest provocation, Amanda stared the man down.

In an attempt to regain his tattered dignity he shook his fist at her. "You haven't heard the last of this," Joshua Cantrell, owner of millions, friend of presidents vowed. He stormed past a nervous Sam who hated all violence not in a movie plot. Sam watched as the enraged man stomped out the door.

Mark clasped Amanda's right arm in a tight grip. "Thank you," he whispered. "Sweetheart, perhaps I had better leave with Father. He is a powerful man who will stop at nothing to hurt you."

Her heart jumped as she heard his words. "Don't ever say anything about leaving me again ever. I never fell in love before in my life. I didn't even know what it was until I met you. Please, don't ever say anything to me about leaving. You are now a part of my soul." He bent his head forward and kissed the top of her head, instead, when she pressed her face against his chest. Sam watched his take no hostages best friend become one, a prisoner of her own heart.

"Amanda, someone else is out there, I can hear them," Mark told her as they started to head for the kitchen.

Just then a rental van came scraping its way around the corner. It came to a stop in the parking area. Dirk climbed down and half ran toward the open gate. "You know a good lawyer?" he asked by way of a greeting.

"What's the problem?" Amanda asked.

"Mike has been arrested, charged with possession of a controlled substance, cocaine. I watched the cop take it out of his pocket and toss it into Mike's car. Then he reached in and brought it back out and held it up so the camera in the cop car could see it. Talk about a raw frame. That takes the cake."

"You by any chance get all that on your camera?" Amanda asked.

"What do you think? Of course I did." A mean grimace came on his face as he continued, "I rigged one camera up on the dash of the truck pointing straight ahead. I had a second camera mounted on the hood like an ornament and my hand held was always at my side. They even forced Mike to take the plastic envelope in his hand so his prints would be on it." His hands shook with anger. The outside crew that installed the landscaping looked up, saw Dirk and Amanda talking and went back to own labors.

"Come into the house and have a cup of coffee. I'll call Hans and get the name of a lawyer. We need to move fast. Mike's life may be in jeopardy. Mark's nutty father was just here and that man is totally out of his mind." Amanda led the way into the kitchen. Mark started a fresh pot of coffee.

Amanda hit the "Talk" switch to activate the phone and punched Hans Steiner's phone number in. "What do you want?" Hans Steiner's voice barked.

"This is Amanda, Hans. The police have arrested the newsman who was coming to act as consultant. They beat him and are trying to frame him on a possession charge. Who do you use on criminal cases?"

"Where do they have him locked up?" Hans asked.

"In the Long Beach city jail. How long he'll be there is anybody's guess. I have a hunch they plan to take him back in San Diego where they can either kill him or destroy him. We need to act fast."

"I'll call Hartman Rector and have him call you immediately. Why are they trying to roust a newsman? That's dicey business, messing with the First Amendment."

Shading the truth, Amanda said, "They don't want your movie in the can. They are afraid of it and this is one way to prevent you from producing it."

"I'll tell Hartman to start now and hire all the talent he needs. Spare no expense, my integrity must reach the people. Goodbye." Hans disconnected.

"God, I never knew Hans even knew the word 'integrity, ' Amanda muttered as she punched another number into the phone pad. "This is Amanda Lust," she said as soon as someone picked up on the other end.

Before she could continue the person on the other end said, "Hello Amanda, what can I do for you today?" The thin, reedy voice belonged to the owner of the security agency Hans always hired.

"I need ten or so bodyguards, armed and mean. Legal fees are a part of the package. Send me your best. You did a great job last year and your people were discreet. This time discretion is not important. Results are all that count. My fiance must have round the clock protection and I might be in danger too, so add three female guards. Those that need to be covered include a newsman and all the others in my house. We must all be watched over twenty four seven. I may be a little nervous, but I don't think so."

"All legal fees paid? This must be serious. You at your Venice place?"

"No, I'm at the house in Benedict Canyon. You know where it is?"

"No, tell me." Amanda gave directions. Then she added, "Get on it now, I got a bad feeling."

"You bet," the voice answered. Then added, "I'll give you what I have available and get more as fast as I can. We're spread pretty thin right now."

Amanda disconnected. She looked first at Dirk and then Mark and said, "Now we wait."

The leader of the cleaning crew came into the kitchen and presented Amanda with the bill. She signed the ticket and dug deep in her pocket and drew out a roll of bills. She handed six to the woman. "Two hundred for you and a hundred for each of your people."

"Thank you, Miss Lust, this is very generous of you." She nodded and called her crew together and gave each one a hundred dollar bill."

"Are you always so generous?" Mark asked her.

"It's all a part of being well known and in show business. The tip may or may not make it into the papers. But if I gave them five dollars apiece it would be in every gossip column from here to New York by tomorrow morning." He smiled, "Also I wanted to impress you with my wealth."

He rolled his eyes and laughed, "Oh yes, right. I think you're well aware I am more impressed with your other qualities."

The phone sounded again. Amanda hit the "Talk" switch, "Yes?"

"This is Hartman Rector's personal secretary, please hold."

"Hello, is this Amanda?" the strange voice asked.

"Yes, Mister Rector, how may I help you?"

"Let's cut to the chase. Tell me a story. Exactly what has happened?" The man's voice sounded rich and mellow. The words hinted at a sharp intellect and a man behind it with no time for irrelevancies.

"

Are you aware of the Mark Cantrell case?" Mark asked.

"Only what I've read in the newspapers. I am aware of your connection to the events and only wish I were your attorney. I would love to represent both of you."

"In that case you got the job. Now Mike Kelley and Dirk have been the men behind the story all the way. Dirk took and has the pictures of Mark when he got dumped off the gurney. He has pictures of the rough treatment by the guard in the court room and of that drunken Judge. The pictures of that crazy cop shooting me and the events prior to and afterward were all recorded by Mike and his photographer partner, a man I know only as Dirk.

"Somehow Mike and his partner have insinuated themselves in almost every aspect of the events leading up to his beating and arrest by members of the Long Beach Police Department. The police also planted evidence to make a phony possession of cocaine charge stick."

In a doubtful voice the lawyer asked, "You can substantiate your allegations at least a little bit?"

Mark turned to Dirk, "Tell him what happened on the way here today."

Dirk began speaking, hesitantly at first, then more and more rapidly. Rector kept silent and let the narration run its course. "I have pictures, some with sound, of all the stops along I-5 and even of the bastards forcing the bag of dope into Mike's hands."

"Where are these pictures now?" the lawyer asked.

"Here," Dirk answered shortly.

"Don't go anywhere. Stay right there. Lock the place up tight. I'll be right there. Where's the nearest helipad to your house, Amanda?"

"In the parking area right just beyond the inner gates. I'll turn on the outside lights and the blue strobe. There's one Ryder van parked in the parking area and a Hummer off to one side. We're almost at the top of Benedict Canyon."

"I know right where you are. I represented one of your neighbors who had been charged with multiple counts of contributing. We won of course. I'll be there in thirty minutes tops." He disconnected.

The front door flew open. Tony the landscaper ran in. "You people better hide quick. There's a bunch of real mean looking dudes spread out and scoping the whole place."

"Are they cops?" Sam asked as he came into the room.

"They ain't got badges or swat jackets. They look like they killed anybody who even looked bad at them." Tony looked back at the front door and muttered, "Oh shit, here they are now." He walked over to the far side of the room and stood with his back to the wall.

"Are there six of you?" Amanda asked as a competent looking man stepped into the kitchen.

"Yes ma'am. Miss Lust, the three ladies will be here hopefully tomorrow. We came ahead to see what was needed." Tony relaxed when he saw there was no threat.

Mark stared wide eyed as the rest of the six entered and stood by the door. Two of the newcomers left and began to check out the rest of the house.

"This is Mister Cantrell," Amanda introduced him. "He is the most important one. His safety comes first.

"Mister Cantrell," the leader of the six guards nodded to Mark.

Amanda continued, "This is Dirk. His safety comes next. Some rogue cops and other bad guys want him dead or alive. Don't let anyone take him. Or his equipment."

Dirk grinned, "Hello Billy."

"You know this man?" Amanda asked.

"Oh yes, we were in Afghanistan together," the man named Billy said. "From the looks of things old Dirk Dirk is still getting in trouble, just like in the Stan."

Amanda looked across the kitchen at Tony. "Send your crew home. You all get time and a half for tomorrow for not showing. Things might get a little busy and I don't want anybody around who might be hurt." A thankful Tony nodded and left.

Sam looked at the crowd standing around the kitchen. "Well, I guess we wait for the lawyer."

"Have the front gates been closed and Locked, Sam?" Amanda asked.

Billy answered before Sam could open his mouth. "York already followed your lawn boy out and locked up when the whole crew was outside the gates. I recommend you get a better gate lock. I had your security code in less than a minute with my reader." He patted the small pouch on his utility belt.

Amanda did not answer. She gave him a silent nod. All at once she began to realize how vulnerable she was even here. Her safe refuge turned out to be not so safe after all. The estate had seemed quite foreboding and impregnable when she first purchased it. "From the looks of things I might as well throw out the welcome mat to anybody who wants to get a piece of me. We're not safe anywhere," she said in a voice filled with gloom.